


Pocket Watch

by wanderlustlights



Category: Glee
Genre: Complete, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-14
Updated: 2011-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-06 14:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderlustlights/pseuds/wanderlustlights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Dave Karofsky should have spent his Valentine's Day.  (2011)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pocket Watch

"Davey! We're leaving now, come say goodbye!" Dave's mom, Kara, called up the stairs.

Dave sighed where he lay on his bed where he lay upside down on it, feet up against the adjacent wall. "Yeah, yeah, see ya later."

"You're not going to say goodbye, Davey?"

"Mom, I told you a million times, stop _calling_ me that!"

"Oh please, you know I'll still be calling you that when you're fifty," said Kara, smiling to herself.

 _Oh dear god, I sure hope not…_ Dave heard her start climbing the stairs and groaned but still didn't bother to move.

"Honey, what're you doing lying in bed like that? Get up now, you don't want to strain your neck," she admonished.

Dave looked at her upside down. She looked nice, hair all up in a wispy loose bun, cranberry red dress and gold heels… Dad must be taking her someplace nice then, Dave wagered. "Don't really wanna, thanks."

Kara rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, don't you have anything going on tonight? What about a date, isn't there anyone?"

Dave sighed, eyes shutting tight as if to blink away the loneliness. "No. Didn't ask anyone. It's fine, Mom, go on your date, I'm good. Actually, I was thinking of going over to Az's place later on maybe so I'm just fine," he lied smoothly.

Kara looked at him, clearly debating with herself. "Well… If you're sure, honey. We won't be gone too long, eleven at the latest, I'd think."

With that, she leaned down, placing a kiss on the top of her son's head. "Love you, sweetie," she called as she exited the room, leaving him to wallow in his self-pity. _Screw it_ , he thought after a moment or two, heaved himself up off his bed, grabbing his jacket, keys, and the small wrapped box resting on his desk and headed out of the house.

\--

Dave pulled up at Breadstix twenty minutes later, putting the car in park and pausing before entering the restaurant. Half of the place was filled with regular customers, the Glee club members occupying the rest of the seats, with that preppy all boys school at the front, their voices filling the room as soon as he stepped inside. Dave took a seat at the back, hoping to go unnoticed as he waited for them to finish singing. Nearly half an hour later they were done, and Dave watched as that bland Blaine kid and his other little preppy friends fanned out across the room to eat dinner and Hummel walked over to sit with that Rachel chick and their other little friends.

When Hummel extracted himself from their booth to get up to use the bathroom, Dave figured it was finally his chance and walked after him, stopping the other boy before he could get into the small hallway leading to the restrooms. Kurt's mouth fell open at the sight of Dave, a small squeak coming out as he took in the sight of the larger boy. He seemed to be having trouble breathing. "Uhm… wh-what're you doing here?"

Dave's eyes fell to the small box in his hand and thrust the gift toward him. "Here. This, uh, this is for you…"

Kurt only stared at it, not making any move to take it from him but Dave just pushed it toward him again. "…What is it?" Kurt finally asked, voice small.

"Just, just take it, okay?"

Kurt finally looked up at him, staring for a moment before reluctantly taking the box from him and tearing gently at the wrapping paper, opening the box within. Kurt's mouth fell open again at the sight of the present within and his fingers played over the gold engraving. Dave glanced over to his table, seeing Rachel and Mercedes staring at them in confusion, and looked back nervously at the uniformed boy. "Wha… Where, uhm, where did you get this?" he asked, holding up the gold pocket watch with the chain and letting the clock dangle from it in the air as he looked between it and up at Dave. "And, and how did you even afford this? I… can't accept it, it's too much."

When Kurt tried to give it back to him, Dave just pushed it back at him. "Keep it. I want you to have it. And my dad's a psychologist – trust me, I can afford it, it's nothing."

The other boy just stared up at him, obviously torn, but between what Dave couldn't exactly tell. Confusion and… guilt? Hurt? Something else he couldn't identify? "That's very… uhm, _generous_ of you. But… you didn't have to buy me anything, really."

"I told you, it's nothing," said Dave, suddenly feeling awkward and wishing he hadn't bought that stupid watch for him.

"Well… thank you," said Kurt and smiled unexpectedly, making Dave's heart speed up at the fact that this smile was meant for _him_ , of all people. "And hey, what do you know, Dave Karofsky actually has a soul," he quipped with a small laugh. "Tell you what – have dinner with me. My way of paying you back for this, without actually buying you a present but I can pay."

"Why… why would you do that for me?"

"Because you're obviously reaching out to me, and to do that in a public place must be difficult, so I can tell you're really trying here. Besides – no one, not even you, should be alone on Valentine's Day."

Dave, stunned, nodded and lead Kurt to his table, sitting across from each other for a few excruciatingly silent moments before Dave remembered something and reached into his inside jacket pocket and setting the small ceramic statue on the table in front of the other boy.

Kurt only gave him a strange look of bewilderment a second later as he picked up the wedding cake topper, caressing the man and woman's faces with his thumb. "You still have this…"

Dave shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, uhm, I wasn't going to just, I dunno, throw it out or whatever you're thinking I would've done with it," he replied and Kurt's eyebrows rose.

"You know, you can be very creepy when you want to be. With the whole creepy smirk you gave when you took it from me."

"Sorry. I'm sorry. About all of it. I was being a dick and I wish I could take it all back, but, you know, I kinda can't and I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and stop myself. But I can't. And I hate myself for it. I hate that I did all that shit to you and that I hurt you, both physically and mentally, and I hate that I kissed you the way that I did, with you not really wanting it, and that I said I'd… _kill_ you if you told anyone because really, I don't think I'd ever do that, that I ever _could_ , and… and I hate that I sent you away to that stupid preppy school and that I can't see you all the time anymore, even if it's just to see how much you hate me for every stupid little thing to you I did all the time."

Kurt swallowed. "That… that's a lot of hate," he replied softly and Dave grimaced before going on.

"But the stupid thing is, something good actually came out of all this. That one week I spent in Glee actually wasn't half bad. I had… _fun_ , surprisingly, as hard as that is to say, and if I weren't such a goddamn chicken about all of it then I mighta actually stayed in it, which is just stupid as fuck because I _liked_ it and I can't even do the thing I like and how dumb is that?"

"I'd say very dumb," Kurt agreed. "And I must admit, you did look pretty good out there. I'd almost say _happy_ , of all things, as though you actually liked what you were doing for once, and…"

"And?"

" _Free_."

"Like a bird?"

Kurt laughed. "I suppose so, yes. It's the same way I felt when I first sang Defying Gravity in the diva-off with Rachel last year. The same way I get whenever I perform, the rush of excitement and joy and being… _free_ and like I don't care what anyone else might say."

Dave nodded. "Right," he agreed and stopped when he saw the pained look in the other boy's eyes. "…You hate it there," he surmised, and Kurt's eyes shot back up to meet Dave's intense gaze.

"E-excuse me?"

"I saw you up there before. You hate it. That gelled-up prep kid gets all the solos and you're singing back-up and swaying behind him. You're being stifled."

" _Stifled_ ," Kurt guffawed. "It's a uniformed school, I just need to blend in. Blaine says I-"

"Oh my god, _Blaine says_? What is he, your leader? He's going to turn you into a robot. He's a cyborg, you do know that, right?" he said and Kurt looked at him funny. "That stupid school is taking away all your individuality – I mean, do you even get to wear your funky clothes anymore? Where's your self-expression or whatever it's called? You're supposed to stand out, Hummel – you're supposed to have glitter coming out your ass and, god, you can't even wear regular clothes when you're singing in a goddamn restaurant? What kinda shit is that?"

Kurt stared at him silently before finally speaking up. "I, uhm… You don't know what you're talking about – obviously, since you know absolutely nothing about show choir in the first place – and I don't have to listen to this," he fought, but made no move to stand up.

"Then why aren't you leaving?"

"Fine, you know what? You're right – I hate to admit it, but you're fucking right, is that what you want to hear? I hate it there. And it's all _your_ fault. You're the one who drove me away from McKinley and yeah, I might not have been entirely, one hundred percent happy there, with you and everybody else pushing me into lockers and the slushies twenty-four seven, but at least I could wear my 'funky clothes' as you call them. Nonetheless, I can be who I am at Dalton. I won't get slushied there, people know that I'm gay and don't care, and even if they did care, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it because of their no bullying policy. And yeah, I don't like that I can't express myself through fashion anymore and I hate not being able to see all of my best friends every day but at least _you're_ not there to harass me."

"Fuck, Hummel, I said I was sorry for all that shit, alright? What more do you want? Now either forgive me and stay here to eat dinner with me, or else leave, because I'd really rather not have you yelling at me constantly."

Dave knew he was walking on thin ice here, he could tell by the way his words sparked a flame in Kurt's eyes, but felt an amazing sense of satisfaction when the other boy made no move to leave. "You staying then, I take it?" Kurt only glared at him out of frustration and pure stubbornness. "Good. Now order some fucking food already, you're too skinny for your own good."

"And I suppose _you_ know about healthy eating, hmm? I'd really rather not take advice from you on that matter, if you don't mind. You're nearly twice my size already."

Dave smiled bitterly. "Yeah, _chubby_ , I think is what you called me. You'd be surprised," he muttered under his breath and buried himself in his menu.

"Listen, I'm sorry I said that, okay? I was being a bitch – just in my nature, I guess you'd say if you're being completely blunt – but I was just… heat of the moment, you know? You were yelling at me, too, I'm sure we all say things we don't mean under such circumstances."

"Sure," said Dave gruffly.

"Well fine, then, _I_ did. Even if you aren't going to admit to it, then I will. I said things I didn't mean, I was being a complete and utter bitch about it, and while I can't exactly say that I'm entirely remorseful, I will say that I'm sorry. Looking back on it, I said the wrong things, although I do still think that you're a coward about everything and that, yes, you are still a scared, frightened little boy, but I'm sorry that I said it the way that I did and if I could go back, I would probably do it differently.

"But the fact that you actually went out there and did the halftime show, that right there shows to me that you've changed, at least a little bit. And I only wish that you could see that just because you're doing Glee does not in any way mean that you can't do football as well and still not be slushied at each and every turn you take as you walk down the halls at school. You can still be 'cool'. You can still have a social life. I mean, just look at Finn and Puck – they're perfectly fine now, even if it did take a little while for everyone else to come around. But I think that what you really need, more than anything else, is to just accept yourself for who and what you are and to not care what anyone else thinks. You need to be… you need to be _happy_."

"Why? If it were the other way around I would have never forgiven you."

"And that's what makes me the bigger person here. I'm taking the high road. Because even after all that you've done and said, I can't bring myself to hold a grudge, as stupid as that might be."

"…Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose so…"

"What would happen if I joined Glee? Just, you know, hypothetically or whatever? Would you completely forgive me?"

"I, uhm-"

"If I stopped throwing slushies at everybody, if I joined Glee, if I… _came out_ – would you forgive me? If I completely changed?"

"I, erm – I guess I don't really know how to answer that…"

"Well what would you do?"

"Look, I don't know, okay? I mean, I'd almost _have_ to forgive you. I certainly wouldn't be able to forget everything you've done, but I could maybe learn to forgive you."

Dave tried his hardest not to grin like a madman at that. "Good." With that, he stood from the table, took two steps, and stopped at Kurt's seat, holding out a hand to him.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Come with me for a second? Please?"

Kurt's eyes darted around the restaurant. Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel were all staring at him like he'd grown a second head, Blaine was obliviously chatting up Wes and David… He could very well just say no, go back to his friends and have a nice night with them instead. He could very well do that and never know what this boy wanted from him, where he was taking him. But the anticipation, the 'what if' would most likely haunt him for days to come. Kurt scooted out of the booth and followed Dave out of the restaurant and out into the cold February air.

They were silent for a good minute or two before it happened. Kurt had been pacing out there, taking small, frantic steps in the snow before he realized belatedly that he'd forgotten his winter coat inside, and therefore leaving him to freeze to death with his tormenter, as he shivered in the cold. He ceased his steps, however, when he looked up and saw the burning gaze in the taller boy's eyes. Kurt felt himself inhale sharply at the sight and his eyes go wide, even before Dave spoke.

"Can I…?"

"Can you… what?"

Dave scooted closer to him – _much_ closer, enough to make Kurt back up into the snowy bank against the wall and surely ruining his shoes and pants all together – leaning his head down slightly so that their noses were mere inches away and all Kurt could see when he blinked were Dave's hazel-green eyes staring back at him.

" _Oh_ ," Kurt breathed, finally getting the hint and no sooner did he gently nod before the other's lips were attaching themselves to Kurt's own. It was so much different than the previous kiss. Kurt's eyes closed. He felt all of the air in his chest leave him as he leaned back against the restaurant wall due to the fact that he wasn't entirely sure his knees wouldn't go weak and leave him a crumpled mess in the snow. His hands had somehow attached themselves to Dave's body – one wrapped around his waist and resting on his back while the other found its way into his surprisingly soft hair. And he kissed back, of all things he never would have thought possible would ever, ever happen with one Dave Karofsky. They broke off finally, Dave still clutching onto Kurt's shoulders as he pulled back to stare into the singer's eyes, watching Kurt do the same, looking as though he was searching for something there. Kurt finally breathed, the exhalation coming out in small white puffs as they flew out into the air, and stared into Dave's eyes.

"Please say something," Dave breathed softly, quietly, and the words went unspoken between them. _Say something. Tell me I didn't just ruin whatever we could have possibly been working toward. Say you really do forgive me and will come back to McKinley. I hate it there without you. You make everything brighter, you shine, and you'll turn into a caged, soulless bird if you stay at that stupid preppy school._

Kurt bit his bottom lip, hands moving to the taller boy's face to cup his chin and the other resting on his cheek. "You'll get harassed, you know." _For being with me, if that's what you really want._

"I know," replied Dave, nodding adamantly, and Kurt was silent. "So… so does that mean you'll come back?" he asked and hoped to whatever deity that he didn't sound too damn eager about such a notion.

Kurt's eyes narrowed as he dodged the question. "You'll do it all? Glee, stop bullying, come out?"

"If that's what it takes, what you want, then yeah."

The resounding silence in the alley was deafening as he waited for those fated words. "Good. Because I don't date guys who don't do what I want."

 _Date_? "Wha-"

Kurt's only response was to kiss him again. Dave felt the pocket watch in the front pocket of Kurt's uniform as the other boy pressed flush against him. A solid reminder that they had time to cement all the details later. Now was the time for Dave to show just how much Kurt really meant to him and to kiss him within an inch of his life.

_Fin._


End file.
